the sanitary state of ancoats

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the exercise of sound private judgment. It is with social

evils, however, as with diseases. The atmosphere andclimate of sound opinion may in some conditions do muchto ensure improvement, but where specific evils exist wehave need of more than such merely tonic agencies. Par-

ticular methods of cure are then called for, and we wouldonce more insist that in order to combat effectively thatform of social illness-the revolver craze-a prohibitory taxis the mildest known remedy.

CHOLERA INTELLIGENCE.

IT seems clear that there is a distinct diminution in the

prevalence of cholera in Spain ; and even Gibraltar, whichis always prompt in imposing quarantine restrictions, hasnow removed them as regards arrivals from Spain. Up tothe end of the first week in November the total recordedcholera attacks in Spain was 5177, and the deaths 2840.From the Levant come? the intelligence of a spread of thedisease in a north-westerly direction, the town of Adana,in the south of Asia Minor, being now infected. The resulthas been an extension of quarantine further northwardfrom Selefke to Anamour. At Aleppo there have been233 cholera deaths since the middle of October, and two orthree fatal attacks still occur daily. Antioch has also been

severely attacked. Indeed, the entire province has beenmore or less infected, but hopes are now entertained ofits diminution. Up to Nov. 8th 413 deaths had occurred atHamah, and at Homs 101 cases and 16 deaths had takenplace.

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THE TREATMENT OF REFUSE.

A NUMBER of medical officers of health, inspectors ofnuisances, and others have recently visited Ealing to inspectthe dust depot, where they had an opportunity of examin-ing various appliances for dealing with refuse. Ealingpossesses a destructor, of which an important feature is the"fume-cremator" for the destruction of the smoke which is

given off in the cembustion of the refuse. One of the dis-

advantages which is said to attend the use of destructors isthe discharge of fine dust from the shaft; in this apparatusthe smoke is exposed to a very high temperature, stated atthe time of the inspection to be 12000 Fahrenbeib. It willte interesting to know if this method overcomes the diffi-culty mentioned. There were also exhibited a road sweeperand cart-filler combined, and a water van which has beendesigned to prevent the clouds of dust which often occurduring road watering. All are the invention of Mr. CharlesJones, A.M.L C.E., who recently lectured at the SanitaryInstitute on scavenging and the disposal of refuse and

sewage. -

THE NEW AMERICAN TARIFF.

SIMULTANEOUSLY with the publication of the newAmerican tariff there has appeared in the form of a Blue-book an exhaustive list of the import duties levied byforeign States upon British merchandise, which serves in astriking way to mark the recent course of events in theirbearing on these matters. It is four years since a similarreturn was last compiled, and the changes which haveoccurred during the interval have been neither few norsmall. In Russia, for instance, a uniform addition to thecustom dues has been made of 20 per cent,, the onlycommodity which escapes the increased impost being<:oal. But by far the most important of these cbangesis that brought about by the McKinley Act. For atime it is certain to occasion great and serious dis-location in the course of trade, although the very extrava-gance of its repressive character threatens to bring aboutits speedy repeal. Upon the trade in drugs and chemicals,however, it will probably have no very marked effect.

The changes made in the duties chargeable upon sucharticles are fully set out by a display of the new and oldtariffs side by side in a recent number of our contemporarythe American Druggist, from which it appears that no

attempt has been made to carry out in these departmentsthe protective policy which constitutes the spirit of the Act.With the exception of sulphuric acid all the important com-modities of this description are left subject to the pre-viously imposed rates of duty, but even here the newly in-vented and more stringent regulations as to the declarationof goods and their values and the mode of passing themthrough the Custom House cannot fail of having an effect,and that a mischievous one.

SMALL-POX IN MADRID.

THE official returns relating to the public health inMadrid during October have just been issued, and show aconsiderable increase in the fatality of small-pox duringthe month in that city. The deaths from small-pox, whichhad been 138 in August and 421 in September, further roseto 654 in October. Thus the annual rate of mortality inthe city from small-pox in October was equal to 16’4 per1000 of the population enumerated at the last census in

1888; and the mean rate in the three months ending withOctober was not less than 10 per 1000. Apart fromthis severe epidemic of small-pox the unsatisfactory healthcondition of this city is testified by its general mortalitystatistics. The deaths in the city from all causes, whichhad been 1407 in August and 1673 in September, furtherrose to 2057 in October, and were equal to an annual rate of42’6 per 1000; the rate, therefore, from all causes other thansmall-pox was no less than 26 per 1000. The ages at whichthe fatal cases of small-pox occur in Madrid point con-clusively to the neglect of vaccination, as the age-distribu-tion of the persons dying from this disease more nearlyagrees with that which prevailed in prevaccination times.Of the 421 deaths from small-pox in Madrid in September,53’7 per cent. wele of children under the age of six years,and only 11’2 per cent. were of persons aged upwards oftwenty-five years; whereas of the 1026 deaths from thisdisease registered in the whole of England and Wales in1888 no less than 46 per cent. were of persons aged upwardsof twenty.five years.

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THE SANITARY STATE OF ANCOATS.

THE inhabitants of Ancoats are pressing for the adoptionof measures which will help to remove from their midst theconditions which they believe so ]a: geJy tend to causehigh rates of mortality and of 8ickness. These conditionsare stated to be chemical works with the turning ofchemical refuse into the sewers, the Holt Town manure

works, and back-to-back houses. As to the injuriousinfluence of some of these conditions no one can doubt, andwe may take it that under the present sanitary administro,-tion of Manchester every effort will be made to ascertainhow far the allegations, as a whole, are correct.

CREMATION FROM A RELIGIOUS POINT OFVIEW.

WHATEVER objections have been urged against thepractice of cremation have, it must be admitted, little ifany foundation in religious principle as expressed in Scrip-ture. Ecclesiastical doctrine finds no valid objection to thepractice. Inspired by no such instinct as that which causedthe Egyptian to preserve, in hope of an actual revival of itspresent atoms, the perishing body, and still less by anychimera which would hold that the soul is imprisoned in thedecay of its former home, it leaves unrestricted the widesanctions of Holy Writ. As far as religion goes, indeed,there is not even apparent an attempt to discountenance